Time of Dying
by crystaltears24
Summary: A oneshot for my story Fight Forever. After Chase was kidnapped, the Davenports found a note from Harrison promising to let the youngest bionic go in a month's time. But when Chase finally got home, he didn't talk about his time in Harrison's clutches. What did they do to him? Why did Chase return home changed, and not for the better? Time of Dying explains what really happened.


**Summary: ****A oneshot for my story Fight Forever. After Chase was kidnapped, the Davenports found a note from Harrison promising to let the youngest bionic go in a month's time. But when Chase finally got home, he didn't talk about his time in Harrison's clutches. What did they do to him? Why did Chase return home changed, and not for the better? This oneshot delves into that dark month of Chase's life and reveals what really happened.**

**Okay! Hi, readers! I'm back with Chase's oneshot, like I promised.**

**For anybody who hasn't read my other story Fight Forever, you're going to be lost. This oneshot takes place between chapters six and seven, a little bit of this story overlapping with the beginning of chapter seven. I suggest reading to chapter seven in Fight Forever if you haven't read the story already, and hey, new readers, you might like my story and want to finish it. *Shrugs* Ya never know. **

**Anyway, this isn't too long of a oneshot, but I tried to make it as long as I could.**

**This is my first time _really_ diving deep into mental and emotional torture stuff, so let me know how I did and if it lived up to the image I painted it to be in Fight Forever.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats. I do not own Lab Rats. I do not own... I think you guys get the point. And neither do I own the song from which the title of this oneshot came from. I wrote this story purely because I like writing, and I don't plan to make a profit off of any of my stories.**

**Enjoy! Or, you know, maybe don't 'cause it's, like... supposed to be an unenjoyable experience... Whatever! Just read and feel whatever you want to lol.**

* * *

On the ground I lay, motionless in pain.

I can see my life flashing before my eyes.

Did I fall asleep? Is this all a dream?

Wake me up, I'm living a nightmare.

I will not die.

I will survive.

-Three Days Grace, "Time of Dying"

* * *

Where was he?

He couldn't see, couldn't hear.

His head hurt; he felt sick.

"Help!" he screamed, his throat raw from hours of screaming, but he couldn't even hear his own voice. "Somebody! _Help me!_"

The room was pitch black; he felt along the walls but couldn't find a door. His legs crashed into a bed he couldn't see, but he didn't dare lie down.

He'd tried to use his bionics, he'd tried to form a force field to give off light, but nothing worked. He couldn't even run through equations to try to focus on something else, anything else than what was happening to him.

Where was his family?

Were they looking for him?

Would they _find_ him?

_Yes, _he thought with absolute certainty. _They'll come for me._

He whispered that mantra over and over and over again, finally sinking down in one of the corners of the room, pulling his legs to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

_What do they want with me?_

_What are they going to do to me?_

Questions, questions, questions and not enough answers. Did he even want to know the answers? Of course he wanted to know where he was, and he was positive his family was looking for him, but did he really want to know what was in store for him?

_Stupid,_ he growled at himself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ He should have known better than to go off on his own like that. Of course it was a trap! But he'd wanted to prove himself _so badly_ that he could still take down the bad guys even though he was deaf. _I'm not weak._

But look where his pride got him: kidnapped without a clue of where he was and no bionics to help.

Suddenly bright light spilled into the room, blinding him and sending a stab of pain through his head. He turned his head away, squinting and holding a hand up to block out the brightness but then a shadow fell over him, blocking out enough light that he could slowly look back at the door.

The guy was young, he could tell even though the person was silhouetted. And he was stocky, too, like a mini bodybuilder. With horror, the bionic recognized the frame of Steroid Boy, who was starting approach the fifteen-year-old. If Steroid Boy was saying anything, he wouldn't know; instead, he tried to shrink back into his corner, pleading, "What do you want with me?" He didn't know if his voice was louder than average or almost a whisper, but he didn't care.

Steroid Boy just came closer until he could bend down and wrap a large hand around the smaller boy's arm, dragging him up and pulling him out the door.

"Where are you taking me?" the bionic asked Steroid Boy. Steroid Boy's only response was to yank him along until they came to a door, which the older teen swung open and stepped through, pulling the bionic with him. What the fifteen-year-old saw made his heart lurch fearfully.

There was an operating table in the middle of the room with machines and trays with equipment scattered around it. Above the operating table was a TV, attached to the ceiling by a metal arm that could be adjusted to change the angle of the screen. It currently faced the doorway, the screen a blank blue, as if waiting for something.

Then he noticed the people. Doctors watched him, waiting for him, each with various expressions on their faces. Some couldn't meet his gaze; he could only assume it was because of guilt at what they were about to do, whatever it was they were planning to do. Some looked at him with pity, their eyes sad. Others remained disinterested, impartial, detached, staring at him with cold eyes. Then he saw someone that made the blood drain from his face.

Slim Girl stood at the foot of the operating table, a sneer on her face and her hands on her hips. When they locked gazes, he saw her mouth move, but he couldn't use his lip reading app without his bionics, which wouldn't work and he didn't know why. Then movement caught his attention and his eyes flicked up to the TV and saw white words rolling across the screen.

_Hiya, Chase,_ the words read. _Told ya we were going to ruin your life in a month._

Chase jolted, eyes racing back to Slim Girl who was now smiling as if what she had said was as casual as saying, "It's a beautiful day."

Before he could say anything, Steroid Boy yanked him forward, towards a doctor who was waiting with a syringe. Chase tried to pull away, but Steroid Boy grasped both of his shoulders tightly and forced the bionic to stand still. The doctor was one of those apologetic ones, giving him a sympathetic glance before taking one of Chase's wrists and lifting it, turning the bionic's hand until the palm was facing up. Then he inserted the syringe into one of Chase's veins and pressed down on the plunger, the liquid inside forced to mix with his blood.

Chase didn't know what was injected into his body, but he soon found out what it did. As his heart pumped the liquid through his body, Chase found it harder and harder to move his limbs. His legs were going numb, as well as his arms, and he couldn't do anything to object when Steroid Boy picked him up bridal style and laid him on the operating table.

The doctors jumped to life then, strapping him down at the wrists, ankles, thighs, midsection, and chest. Then the doctors did something in his head, putting it in a brace or something to keep his head from moving, secured to the table.

While the doctors prepared for whatever-it-was they were going to do, Slim Girl came to his side and reached up, tilting the TV until Chase could see it.

_Don't be scared, Chasey,_ the words read, scrolling across the screen as the TV picked up what Slim Girl was saying. _We're going to fix you._ Her words failed to calm his pounding heart, and his fear skyrocketed.

"Why did you paralyze me and not knock me out?" Chase might not have his super smarts, but he wasn't stupid. He was the son of a millionaire inventor, after all. Genius was in his genes.

Slim Girl threw her head back in laughter. _Very good, Chase. To answer your question, well, we want you to have as much fun as we will._ Slim Girl patted his knee. _You're such a nerd, Chase. You need to get out and party more! Have_ fun_! This'll be a blast._

Chase had the very strong feeling that it would _not_ be a blast.

Natalia didn't say anything more, moving away to give the doctors room to work. The TV picked up the conversations of the doctors, but since Chase could barely understand the medical jargon, he focused on other things.

_This is going to hurt, isn't it? It's going to hurt. Totally going to hurt. Definitely, absolutely, positively, unquestionably, undeniably, categorically going. To. Hurt._

Chase wished he could pass out right then; his heart was racing so fast that he felt like he couldn't get enough air. The room was beginning to spin so he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the nausea that was growing.

_Please,_ he cried in his mind, picturing his family. _Find me. Please, please stop them!_

All too soon the doctors were leaning over him, some sympathetic, some cold, some just wishing they didn't have to be there.

Chase's heartbeat sped up, pumping painfully in his chest as he heaved for air, tension thick around them.

And as they picked up their tools to work, no one noticed the lone tear snake it's way down the side of Chase's face, disappearing into his hair.

_Find me. _

_Please._

* * *

_"Stop!" he cried. "S-stop please!"_

_But they wouldn't stop._

_It seemed like they'd been at it for hours. After the doctors had prodded at him, poked him, they had set up a machine and placed headphones on his ears, but instead of blasting music, they blasted something else that ripped through his head as it healed his shattered ear drums._

_It was _agony_._

_He had begged, screamed, cried for them to _stop_ but they _wouldn't_ and it _hurt_!_

_Thanks to the drug the doctor's gave him, he couldn't move, couldn't kick or try to get free. All he could do was lie there and suffer._

_When the pain finally became too much, he thankfully passed out._

* * *

Chase's eyes snapped open and he sat up with a gasp, his heart thundering in his chest from the nightmare.

He couldn't see again; he was back in his dark room, lying on the cot.

Something heavy rested on his ears, and when he reached up a hand, he found that he was wearing some type of special earmuffs. He was about to take them off when a voice spoke.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Chase froze, not just because there was someone else in the room he couldn't see, but also because he _heard_ them.

He licked his dry lips and asked, "Why?" His throat was still sore and he was parched.

The voice chuckled. "Because, stupid, it's only been a few days after your surgery. Your eardrums are still fragile. You take off those muffs and even the sound of a pin dropping will hurt."

Chase's hands fell away from his ears. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Aww, Chasey, I'm wounded! How could you forget me?"

That's when Chase caught the familiar tones through the muffs and his expression darkened. From the sound of it, the voice was coming from the opposite corner of him, so he glared in that direction.

"You," he growled.

Slim Girl laughed crazily. "And the _A_ goes to Chase Davenport!" She clapped, and Chase got the image that she was jumping up and down like an excited little girl. "Oh, Chasey! I can't _wait_ to play with you! We'll have so much _fun!_"

Chase sneered. "That's what you said last time."

There was a paused, in which Slim Girl quieted down. "You didn't have fun?" She became energetic again. "I know I did!"

Chase ignored her, instead he chose to go after information. "Why did you fix me, anyway?"

He could just imagine the pout on Slim Girl's face as she said, "Aw, you were no fun broken! Now it's so much better."

Suddenly, the earmuffs were ripped off of his head, and he shouted in surprise, his heart nearly stopping as he lurched forward on his bed to get away from the person behind him.

"You call yourself mission leader?" Chase recognized Steroid Boy's voice past the sharp pain that suddenly erupted in his head, gasping in surprise. "You didn't even check your surroundings. Your precious father would be disappointed."

Chase ducked his head away from the voice while pain seared his ears and he tried to clamp his hands over them to block out the sound, but his ears were tender to touch and he could do little to ease the pain.

"Honestly," Steroid Boy continued. "You're just a pathetic little boy trying to play hero."

Chase growled, glaring in Steroid's general direction. "I could say the same thing about you, except you suck at playing villain. You try to act all macho but I bet your boss bursts out laughing every time he sees your face."

Chase's eyes had grown used to the darkness by then, and he could just see the outline of Steroid Boy's features as the older teen grasped Chase by the front of his shirt, leaning down until their faces almost touched.

"At least I don't look like a dork," the older teen snarled, breathing into Chase's face.

Chase gagged mockingly before cracking a grin. "Childish insults now, huh? Have you sunk that low? Alright, well, you look like a jerk with a head too small for his body."

There was a moment when Chase thought he went too far, expecting a punch to come out of no where, but then Steroid Boy chuckled, releasing Chase's shirt with a shove. The teen hit the wall with a dull thud and Boy just walked away. "You should be thankful," he said, opening a door and blinding Chase. "You didn't have that far to sink."

Chase wasn't prepared for what Steroid Boy did next, and he couldn't stop a scream from escaping when Steroid Boy slammed the door so hard that Chase felt the wall behind him quiver. Falling onto his side on the bed, Chase curled into a ball, grabbing at his head where an intense migraine was forming. Tears fell as his heart ached for his family. Why haven't they found him yet?

_They'll come for me. I'll wait for them. They'll come for me. They'll come for me. I'll wait for them. They'll find me. They'll come for me._

_They will._

* * *

It was dark, and it was cold.

He sat shivering on his cot, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. Waiting.

He missed his family, his home. He missed teasing his siblings or just hanging out with them. He scowled suddenly. The only company he had would come only sporadically and torture his mind.

He'd lost count of the days he'd been locked in this prison, since the day they restored his hearing, since the day he found out his bionics were useless - forced to pace in his windowless, dark cell and listen to lies that he wasn't even sure if they were lies anymore.

Suddenly, the door to his cell opened, casting bright light on him that assaulted his eyes and he lifted a hand to block out the light. Squinting, he saw a large and familiar silhouetted shape of one of his torturers, and his heart started to thud painfully in his chest.

"Chase," sneered Steroid Boy. "The Boss wants to meet you." Boy stomped in and wrapped a meaty hand around one of Chase's biceps, roughly pulling the younger teen to his feet.

Chase's knees gave out when he stood and he would have fallen if it weren't for Steroid Boy holding him up.

"Why do I always get stuck with the weaklings?" Steroid Boy muttered. Chase growled and regained his footing, defiantly pushing with his free hand on Steroid Boy's chest with enough strength to slightly unbalance the overgrown teen. "Why, you little-" Steroid Boy snarled, tightening his already stone-crushing grip on Chase's arm while glaring at the bionic. "You're lucky the Boss needs you alive or I would have killed you where you stood. Now, come on." Steroid Boy walked out of the cell and stormed through the halls of some sort of old building - like a castle - while he dragged Chase with him.

The bionic fruitlessly tried to yank his arm free, but Steroid Boy just kept walking, unfazed. "What are you going to do with me?" he asked through clenched teeth, still unwilling to give up.

"That's for the Boss to know and you to find out," Steroid Boy said, sniggering. Chase was filled with dread at those words.

Finally, they came to another door with thick and ancient wood. Steroid Boy turned the handle and gave a big shove, causing the door to swing open with a loud screech which hurt Chase's newly-restored, sensitive ears. He winced, but before he could dwell on it, he was forcibly pushed into the room beyond that was lit by a single bulb, creating a spotlight-like beam. When Chase regained his footing, he found himself directly under the bulb, facing into the darkness but he turned around when he heard the door slam shut. And so there he was, left in a mysterious room, unsure if he was alone or not, but that problem was solved a moment later.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have a remarkable resemblance to your mother?" The new voice echoed throughout the room, making him jump, but his face instantly turned into a scowl. "Of course, there's a fair amount of your father in your DNA." A man stepped out of the shadows, joining Chase in the sphere of light, a sinister grin on his face.

The Boss was tall, about six foot or a little bit over, with blond hair and a slim build. He wore a suit and tie, completely passing off the businessman look.

"Who are you?" Chase asked, shifting slightly into a more defensive stance. The stranger ignored him, however, because he folded his hands behind his back and started to circle the bionic, chin lifted as he stared at the teen out of the corner of his eye. Instead of answering Chase's question, he asked one of his own.

"Do you remember your mother?" His voice was silky, a voice that belonged to someone who deceives others, who twists his words to get what he desires.

Chase was stunned by the inquiry. "What does she have to do anything?" he asked, sincere confusion in his tone.

"Just answer the question, Chase," the man warned in a patient voice.

"You…You know my name," Chase stated with a gulp, eyes following the stranger, who started to chuckle.

"Of course. I know _everything_ about your family and it's precious secret."

Chase felt his heartbeat rise and swallowed nervously. "Are you from the government?" At his question, the adult threw his head back laughing. Chase was so shocked by this that he faltered out of his defensive stand.

"My boy, if I were part of the government, you wouldn't be here, standing freely with a clear head. If you were in the custody of the government, you wouldn't even be standing at all for the first few weeks! You'd be pumped with so many drugs that you wouldn't even know what is real and what is a dream. You'd be hooked to so many different machines while they monitor you. And if you're lucky, in a few months you might be able to be released from the science ward and into the military division where they will push you to your limits and see how much of a threat you actually are." The Boss stopped his circling and faced Chase, pointing a finger at the teen. "And after that, if they find you to be of use, they'd try with all their power to turn you into a weapon to use against thousands, enemy soldiers and civilians alike. It wouldn't matter much to them."

He took a step forward, dropping his hand to his side. "So be thankful, _boy_, that I'm not from the government." After a few seconds of staring at the wide-eyed teen, he again clasped his hands behind his back and continued his circling. "But we're avoiding the matters at hand. You never answered my question."

Chase looked at the ground as he racked his brain for anything about his mom. "No," he said thickly. "I never knew her." He heard the adult _tsk_ several times in disappointment.

"Shame. But, then again, you probably wouldn't."

Chase followed the man, turning his head to keep him in sight. "But you didn't answer mine, either. What does she have to do with this?" He frowned .

when the stranger chortled darkly.

"Oh, my dear boy, she has _everything_ to do with this. Did you know that your…_ father_-" he spat out the word as if it left a horrible taste in his mouth "-was involved in her death?" The Boss finally stopped his pacing and turned to the bionic, who's face had gone even more pale.

Chase felt as if an elephant had run him over because he suddenly found it hard to breathe. "W-What?" he gasped, but the guy just kept rambling on in a delirious-like state induced by a strong fever.

"And do you know why you're here, _Chase_?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You're here because of a plan for sweet, _sweet_ revenge on the man who ruined my life, my partner's life, and _**stole**_ _her_ life!"

Chase shook his head in denial, backing away while tangling his fingers into his hair just above his ears and pulling on the strands in distress. "N-No… No… You-… You're _wrong_!" For the first time since he woke up in his cell and discovered that none of his bionics worked, he felt a sliver of his powers boil within him, and he grasped at them fervently. He felt a force field trying to form around him, but whatever nullifier they used to keep his powers in check was still too strong and all that happened was blueish sparks shooting off every now and then.

The Boss was still ranting on and on and _on_. "None of this would even be happening if he hadn't gotten involved fourteen years ago! But he had a school-boy crush on her and just wouldn't let her go." At the last part, the man sneered, his upper lip curling in disgust. "She would still be alive if it weren't for him!"

"You're **lying**!" Chase shouted, hatred burning in his eyes. "My father would _never __**do THAT**_!"

The adult's face was contorted in fury, the single bulb casting shadows onto one side of his face. _**"Donald Davenport. Murdered. Lucy Davenport."**_

Chase let go of his hair and glared straight on at the Boss. _**"LIAR!"**_ Suddenly, it was as if a dam had broken inside of him and all of his bionics came rushing back to him a rush. The force field he was trying to create exploded around him, and before he could control it, it pulsed outwards from him as the central point. His captor was sent flying until he crashed into a wall, but Chase didn't get a chance to relish in it because an explosion of pain erupted in his head and he grabbed at it, his fingers digging into his hair while he fell to his knees.

_Wha... What's happening?_

The door slammed open and hands grabbed at him, dragging him from the room. He fought them, kicking and trying to break free but his head hurt _so bad_ and he just couldn't let go.

The pounding in his head matched the pounding of his heart and it felt like his brain was throbbing against his skull.

_Why... Why does__-_

He cried out in as a fresh wave of pain swept over him.

_Why does it hurt _so bad_?_

He didn't know where they dragged him or for how long, but soon he was laid on a bed, eyes closed tightly as he tried to curl in on himself.

_Make it stop,_ he pleaded. _Make it stop!_

Someone grabbed one of his arms and pulled it away from his body, palm up. He fought to pull it back to him, but the person gripped it tightly, so tightly that Chase felt like his wrist would break.

Something was stabbed into his arm, but it didn't hurt nearly as bad as his head. Soon he began to notice the pain lessening and he grew tired, his muscles uncoiling as his body grew relaxed.

Just before he collapsed into darkness, Slim Girl's voice hissed right next to his ear, chilling his blood. "Where's your family now, huh? They're not even looking for you. They're glad you're gone. You were just a pain in their butts anyway, the pesky little brother, the annoying know-it-all. Just. Give. Up."

Chase, already slipping away, gave a small smirk. "Never," he whispered, his body going limp.

His family may not be looking for him, they may not want him, but he would never give up.

Not to these creeps.

He wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

He'd rather die.

* * *

"You think your family really loves you? You take every chance you can get to remind them how stupid they are compared to you. You give up your siblings just to earn favor with your daddy. You constantly tease them. What reason do you give them to miss you? What makes you think they even _want_ you back?"

* * *

"You're such a failure! You're worthless! People come to you for answers but you don't have them all. You failed them. You're a disappointment. You could do better but instead you walk around with your nose stuck in the air, thinking you're all high-and-mighty. Who wants to be around a person like that?"

* * *

"All you're good for is doing other people's homework just so you can be bully-free for a day and rambling worthless facts that bore people. Why do you think you don't have any friends? I bet even your family would leave you if they could, but they can't so they're forced to humor you. Tell me, who's one person that was actually interested in _you_ and not your _brain?_ No one, because you're nothing."

* * *

For days he was forced to listen to these lies, but now... now they didn't seem so untruthful.

"You're love for your family makes you blind," spat Steroid Boy. "When are you going to wake up and realize that you're family never loved you. You're all alone. C'mon, Chase. Wake up."

Oh, he was.

* * *

"Your little stunt a few days ago completely fried the nullifiers keeping your bionics in check. That wasn't supposed to happen," the Boss said, standing just outside ring of light created by the single bulb. Chase stood under the bulb again, but instead of his previous defiant stature, his shoulders sagged as he stared at the ground, his head slightly turned away from the adult watching him. "You're more powerful than I had previously guessed." No response. "So do you know what that means?" Silence. "It means that your family underestimated you, too."

The Boss circled the teen with his hands clasped behind his back. "You have so much more potential than either of us realize. Your family was holding you back. You were never pushed to your limits because your siblings were always there to pull their weight. Well, that's not going to happen here." Chase remained silent, his hands tucked in his pockets as he scuffed his shoes. The Boss noticed this.

"We haven't... broken you already, have we?" Before Chase could react, Boss was _right there_, grasping Chase's chin and forcing the teen to look him in the eyes. Chase's eyes flashed dangerously with hatred and he yanked his chin out of the man's grip. The Boss just smiled. "Ah, so there _is _still some fight left. Good. It'd be too disappointing if there wasn't a... challenge." Chase just glared. "Now, I think it's time for you to see the world as it really is."

Suddenly, a projector that was hidden in the darkness came to life and cast a picture on the wall, a play button in the middle of the screen. the Boss went over to the projector and pressed a button. The picture came to life, which turned into a slide show.

The pictures were of a happy family, a handsome man and his beautiful wife with a son and two younger daughters. The pictures shifted from the entire family to photos of individuals in various stages of motion. The son playing soccer. The dad lifting his youngest daughter over his head, the little girl's arms spread out like she was flying. The mom and the older daughter baking cookies. Even though the pictures changed, one thing never did: the family was always smiling.

"Meet the Turners. Just an average family living an average life in an average home. They were a very happy family."

Suddenly the picture of the family at a picnic changed to something so horrible that Chase cried out in shock, his eyes wide as he took in the disturbing image, frozen to the spot.

"But they were murdered. The father was mutilated, while still alive, as determined by the coroner. The wife was beaten then shot five times in the chest. The boy was suffocated and the two girls were shot in the head, execution style."

Images flashed, visiting the different murder scenes.

Chase stood there, wanting so bad to look away but some part of him forced the rest to watch. His heart thundered in his chest and he felt tears well up in his eyes.

The family had been so happy, so beautiful. What had they done to deserve that?

As if reading his mind, the Boss spoke up. "The man who killed this family had just escaped from prison. He spotted the family at the park and followed them home. Afterwards, he broke into the house and took the family by surprise. They never stood a chance." The Boss paused, studying the images. "The man was a serial killer, a psychopath. Men like him don't need a reason to kill. They just do, for fun."

Suddenly there was a picture of a little girl - not one of the Turners' - being projected on the wall. She was smiling at the camera, her two front teeth missing. She had golden hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"This is Karina. She was six years old when she chased a ball into the street and got hit by a car." The pretty image changed into something ugly, the smiling face replaced with a bruised and bloodied one, her blue eyes wide open in fear, their sparkle gone. The pictures changed to different views of the accident, Karina's family sobbing outside of the yellow tape and a shell-shocked driver, the one responsible for hitting the little girl, staring at Karina's body, which was thankfully covered over in a white sheet, while policemen had tight grips on both of his arms.

Chase felt sick, and he crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees, his hands fisting in his hair while his head drooped between his arms. He struggled for air, but the images of the murders and the accident kept stealing his breath away.

"This is the world you're trying to save!" The Boss's voice was angry, _very_ angry. "You go on missions and save lives, but you're also saving _killers_, _brutal_ and _heartless_ men or women that don't hesitate to murder in the most _creative_ ways possible."

Chase shook his head, trying to deny what the Boss was saying, but the family... Karina...

"There's too much evil in this world! Save one life, hundreds more die. You and your family are fighting a hopeless cause! Whether you keep fighting or not, this world _will_ fall into darkness. Why don't you and your family just give up?"

Chase stood then, turning to glare at Harrison. "Even if it's only one life we save, it's one less person to die."

The Boss' face darkened. "You're only delaying the inevitable, Chase!" The door opened and Steroid Boy stepped in, grabbing Chase and dragging him out of the room, Harrison's voice calling after him. "The fight is already lost!"

* * *

This went on for days - first, psychologically tortured by Slim Girl and Steroid Boy; then second, emotionally tortured by Harrison and his class of "What The World Really Is."

It was a sick, twisted place with sick, twisted people.

Evil reigned.

Chaos.

Families torn apart, or decapitated.

Nice people murdered.

Serial killers released many, many years later when they should have received the death sentence for their crimes.

What was worth saving?

Why did Davenport send them on missions? Didn't he know that it didn't matter?

Davenport... family... home...

Chase had finally given up on his family.

They wouldn't find him.

They had probably stopped looking by now, if they had even bothered to look at all.

What was wrong with him?

Everything.

Everybody hated him, despised him.

Alone.

He was alone.

No! That's... That's not-

_You're worthless,_ the voice inside him hissed. _You're not wanted. Not loved._

Since when did he start listening to those lies?

_They're not lies and you know it. You're family's not coming to save you. You're not even worth saving._

Maybe... Maybe the voice was right.

And that was it. That was all that was needed for the darkness to get a foothold.

And thus a new Chase was born. A dark, self-loathing, self-doubting Chase.

But a part of the old Chase still remained, locked in the farthest reaches of his heart, desperately crying to be let out, its cries almost suffocated by the oppressing darkness. So it built walls to protect itself, walls so thick that the darkness couldn't break through, but the light couldn't break out.

For days, Chase would lie on his cot when he wasn't visited by Slim Girl or Steroid Boy, trying to imagine what sunshine felt like on his face, what it felt like to be _warm_, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.

But warmth was like a distant dream... A distant dream he didn't deserve.

He longed to hear the birds again, to hear the busy city from the open window in his room, the curtains blowing in a cool summer breeze. He longed to smell warm food or fresh air. He wanted to see the sky again, the stars, the city lights at night outside his window.

Yet here he was, trapped in this prison in the dark with stale food twice a day.

Did he even want to see his family again? Could he even face them? He could barely remember the good times they had on missions or at school or at home.

Was it all just a dream? He wished it was so he could just wake up from this nightmare and find himself back home in his capsule, his brother and sister sleeping peacefully next to him.

_When will it finally be over?_ he wondered, rolling onto his side, his head resting on his arm. It seemed like forever since he first woke up in this terrifying place. Now he didn't even jump at Steroid Boy's or Slim Girl's voice, having snuck in when he was sleeping.

He shut his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep, a sleep filled with nightmares of brutal murders and tragic accidents.

* * *

As soon as he wakes up, he knows something's different.

He can tell Steroid Boy is waiting at the end of his cot, but Chase doesn't move. Something's off.

"Get up," growled Steroid Boy. Chase is slow to obey, simply to annoy the older teen. When he was finally standing, Steroid Boy grabbed the bionic's arm tightly and pulled him out of the room. They stopped just outside the doorway long enough for a black hood to be pulled over his head and someone to grab his free arm so he couldn't pull it off.

"Where are we going?" Chase asked. His voice had gotten deeper, more mature.

"You're going home," Steroid Boy replied simply.

Chase's mind went blank, and he barely registered moving down unseen halls.

Home.

He was going _home!_

But... It was too good to be true, right?

It had to be.

But then a door was opened and he heard birds and smelled air so fresh it made him dizzy. He was guided into a car, forced to sit on the middle seat in the back, but he didn't care. Even the air inside the car was like heaven.

They drove for an hour or two before the car slowed to a stop, then he was being shoved out of the car, the bag still on his head. Steroid Boy and the other guy led him into another building, but Chase could tell from the echoes of their footfalls that it was a very large, open space.

Suddenly the hood was ripped off his head and he nearly cried out, slamming his eyes shut to block out the light, eyes watering.

"Here," Steroid Boy grunted. Chase cracked his eyes open just enough to see clothes flying at his face and he reached up and caught them. "Go change in there." Following Steroid's pointing finger, Chase saw a rusty door and stepped towards it. When he swung the door open, he saw that it was a bathroom, and turned to glare suspiciously at Steroid Boy. "Just do it," the older teen snarled.

Chase's upper lip curled in a sneer before turning and entering the bathroom, shutting the door. Several moments later Chase emerged, dressed in a black tee and black jeans. The guy that came with Steroid Boy snatched Chase's old clothes from the bionic's hands.

Before Chase could protest, Steroid Boy spoke up. "You are to wait. Right. Here. No moving, got it?" Chase nodded slowly, warily. "You're family will be here to pick you up soon." That tidbit of information was enough to root Chase to the spot, Steroid Boy and his friend leaving the warehouse, but not before shutting off the lights overhead, plunging Chase into darkness, which had become his only friend.

Time seemed to stretch on as Chase tried to calm his racing heart.

His family was coming. For him.

Would they be happy to see him?

_No, you idiot._

How long has it been? Will his family have changed much?

_Shut up. They abandoned you. Why should you care?_

Then... Realization hit.

_They won't understand you. They won't get it. You'll be a freak to them, a broken toy._

_Shut up! I'm not broken. I never gave up._

_Oh, yeah, like resigning yourself to the fact that you'll never leave that place was "not giving up."_

Chase didn't bother replying to that, already feeling a headache coming on from his mental battle. That's when a door on the opposite end of the warehouse opened, and three silhouetted figures stood in the threshold and Chase knew without a doubt that it was Mr. Davenport, Adam, and Bree.

Chase walked over to where the light switch was and flipped it, the first light, the one on the farthest end, turned on just as the door slammed closed. He made his way back to his original position and leaned against the wall, waiting.

Row by row lights turned on and finally Chase's row lit up, exposing him. He had bowed his head beforehand to escape the light, but he still squinted in pain.

"Hey!" It was Davenport; he had spotted the bionic. His voice sounded accusatory, and Chase felt angry, realizing that they weren't happy to see him. But then... "Who are you?" Chase paused, then looked up, confusion in eyes. They... they didn't know who he was?

Were they not expecting him?

Has it been that long that they had forgotten about him?

Then Bree gasped his name, her voice echoing throughout the building, and she started running, running like a normal person. Towards him. Because of him. To meet _him_.

Chase felt something weird inside of him... something he hadn't felt in a long time...

Happiness.

Joy.

Chase started running, too, feeling lighter than he had during his entire time with the Boss and his lackeys.

When they got close enough, Bree leapt into his arms, wrapping her arms around him as tight as she could and tucking her face into the crook of his neck. Chase copied, holding her close and burying his face in her hair, and breathed in the scent of his sister - strawberries. "_I've missed you so much!_" she sobbed into his shirt, squeezing harder.

They... They _missed_ him?

Chase's shoulders shook violently as he cried silently into Bree's hair and he felt so alive for the first time in what seemed like ages.

_I... I made it. I'm alive and my family came for me and..._

_I'm going home._

* * *

I will not die, I'll wait here for you.

I feel alive when you're beside me.

I will not die! I'll wait here for you

In my time of dying...

* * *

**So...? How was it? Love it? Hate it? Could it have been better? All my Fight Forever readers know I love feedback, so if there're any newbies who decided to push through this story despite not having read Fight Forever, you're thoughts and insights on this story are much appreciated.**

**Chapter soundtrack: Time of Dying by Three Days Grace.**

**Listen. To. The. Song. Oh my gosh, I heard that song and I was like, "PERFECT!" It's just so... right for this story.**

**Alright, news on other upcoming stories: I've barely started on Damia's oneshot, but I _think_ I know the title and the chapter soundtrack for that story. I'll have to listen to the song I'm leaning towards and then we'll see.**

**Sequel to Fight Forever! ...Still working on that. Sorry if I got you excited lol. **

**See you later, guys! **


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